Officer Hovsep Sarkisian was dispatched to the Walmart on Post Road on Oct. 24 for a report of two women being detained for shoplifting. A loss prevention agent for the store told Sarkisian he watched the two women while they were in the electronics department. He said the older woman was in a motorized chair as she took a set of headphones from a shelf and removed the security device and covered the box with her handbag and then went to the shoes section, where she removed the contents of the box and concealed them in her purse. He said he also saw her take a knit hat and concealed that in the younger woman’s handbag. He said they both exited the store without attempting to pay for the concealed goods. He said they stopped them outside and both subjects were uncooperative and they called police. Sarkisian said police recovered $149.94 from the older woman and $10 worth from the younger woman. Sarkisian said he viewed the surveillance video that showed the two women doing exactly what the loss prevention agent described and additionally showed the younger woman blocking the view of the older as she removed the security device.

Sarkisian said both women were arrested and taken to headquarters. Sarkisian said it “should be noted that June [the older woman] has a service dog, which is a small Chihuahua. The proper service animal identification card was affixed to the dog’s vest, which she stated that she could not be separated from due to a medical condition, that being a seizure.” He said she also warned him that the dog is aggressive, does nip “and does bite officers or other people who the dog may not be familiar with.” Sarkisian said, in consideration of that, he handcuffed the woman in front, “so she was able to hold the dog in her hands.”

He said he seat-belted the younger suspect, identified as Chanda Goodinson, 19, of 99 Tell St., Providence, but was unable to seat-belt the older woman, identified as June Corse, 49, of 187 Drury Rd., Solon, Maine, because the little dog might bite his face. Sarkisian said the woman told him she was going to complain about him. “You called me a retard because I have a dog. You are making fun of me because I am disabled and you did not seat-belt me in. I am bouncing around back here. I cannot wait to make a complaint against you.” Corse was later released on $1,000 surety bail [because she was from out of state].

SHOPLIFTING

A homeless Cranston man was charged with felony shoplifting in Warwick and violating the conditions of his bail for an earlier charge of felony shoplifting in Cranston on Oct. 24. Justin J. Prete, 26, who has a history of drug possession, was arrested outside of the Target store in Warwick Mall after he attempted to flee loss prevention personnel from the store. Officer Aaron Steere said they recovered $118.44 worth of clothing from Prete. He was charged and held for arraignment.

Officer Aaron Kay reported taking custody of a Providence man who was detained by loss prevention personnel at the Best Buy store on Pace Boulevard on Oct. 23. Kay said he reviewed surveillance video of the suspect opening a package and then concealing the contents before leaving the store without paying. Xavier Alturo Perez, 25, of 196 Washington St., was charged with shoplifting a $19.99 Lightening cable and later released with a summons.

Officer Nicholas Reay reported he stopped a car that was wanted in connection with a shoplifting incident at Dick’s Sporting Goods on Bald Hill Road on Oct. 23. He said the woman admitted she had been at Dick’s but denied stealing anything. She said she was accused of stealing but she gave the items back and added that she just went outside with a jacket and hat that weren’t paid for to get her wallet. A manager at Dick’s identified Myra E. Dacosta, 29, of 182 Shannock Hill Rd., Richmond, as the woman he led back into the store who removed the unpaid for items and left the store without coming back to pay for them. She was held for the next session as a probation violator.

Dino L. Celseti, 42, of 42 Charles St., Cranston, was arrested for the second time this month and charged with shoplifting watches and fragrances from a department store. Loss prevention at Macy’s in Warwick Mall told police they saw him taking bottles of fragrance out of boxed sets and then taking watches and concealing them in his pockets before leaving the store and being chased by loss prevention as he tossed the stolen items away. Loss prevention said he took $402 worth of goods. He was held without bail as a bail violator from an arrest on Oct. 2.

DUI OR REFUSAL

Officer Zachary Davis reported he was on patrol around 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 20 when he clocked a car doing 65 miles per hour heading north on Post Road. He said he turned on his lights and siren and pulled the car over at Bigelow Court. He said he asked the driver why he was going so fast and he replied that he was being followed. He said the driver appeared to be drunk and he asked him to take a field sobriety test, which he did. Davis said he failed the test and was taken to headquarters, where he registered a .173 and a .169 blood alcohol content on the breath test. Michael J. Richards, 35, of 21 Michigan Ave., Warwick, was later released with a summons to a sober adult.

Officer Adam Arico said he almost had a head-on collision with a white pickup truck that was driving on the wrong side of West Shore Road around 4:40 a.m. on Oct. 20. He said he followed the truck and saw it travel around 1,000 to 1,500 feet on the wrong side of the road and the driver seemed confused. He said the driver asked him why he was stopped and he still had no idea he had been on the wrong side of the road. He said he smelled of alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated. He said he took the keys out of the ignition and asked the driver to take a field sobriety test and the driver failed it. Andrew Smiley, 26, of 2890 Tower Hill Rd., North Kingstown, was taken to headquarters, where he refused a breath test. He was charged with DUI, refusal and laned roadway violation and then transported to Kent Hospital for detox when they couldn’t find a sober adult to take custody of him.